Abandoned homes dot suburbs of Tokyo

Yokosuka, Japan

EVER since her elderly neighbour moved out a decade ago, Yoriko Haneda has done what she could to keep the empty house she left behind from becoming an eyesore. She regularly trims its shrubs and clips its narrow strip of grass, maintaining its perfect view of the sea.

The volunteer yard work has not extended to the house two doors down, however. That one is vacant too, and overgrown with bamboo. In fact, dozens of houses in this hillside neighbourhood about an hour's drive from Tokyo are abandoned.

Ms Haneda, 77, said: "There are empty houses everywhere, places where nobody…